Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe

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Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe

This recipe is from "Preserving Summer's Bounty" by Marilyn Kluger. I have used it many times with good success. The recipe looks long, but is actually easy to make.

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Instructions

Remove the outer leaves of firm cabbages, wash, and drain. Cut into quarters, core, and shred with a kraut cutter or sharp knife, making pieces no thicker than a dime. Weigh the cabbage. Two pounds of shredded cabbage will make one quart.

Sprinkle pure granulated pickling or canning salt over the cabbage, using 3 tablespoons to each 5 pounds of cabbage. Combine the cabbage and salt and mix well. Let stand for a few minutes until the cabbage is wilted.

Pack the salted cabbage into sterile quart jars, pressing it down firmly with a wooden spoon. Brine will form and cover the cabbage. Fill the jars up to the neck with cabbage.

Place a pad of clean white cheesecloth in each jar, directly on top of the packed cabbage, to cover it completely. Hold the cloth in place by inserting two wooden strips, cut to size from Popsicle sticks, so that they catch under the neck of the jar on each side.

Close the jars with suitable lids, leaving them slightly loose.

Set the jars in a shallow pan so that the overflow during fermentation will spill into the pan. Keep the jars at a constant room temperature of about 70 degrees F for the next 10 days. There should be no scum formed on the top of the cabbage, but the progress of fermentation should be watched. If scum forms, remove it and replace the cheesecloth pads with clean dampened pads and insert the wooden sticks as before.

After about 10 days, the brine level will drop noticeably. This indicates that the fermentation is almost over. Remove the cheesecloth pads and wooden strips from the jars. Fill the jars to within 1/2 inch of the top with a 1 1/2% brine solution (1 ounce salt to one quart water). Press the cabbage down to release gas bubbles. Clean the rims of the jars and apply clean lids.

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For short storage, place the cured sauerkraut in a cool place and use within a few weeks.

For longer storage, process the filled jars in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Remove jars from boiling water after processing, complete seals, if necessary, cool the jars and store.

I wish you luck with this as I have had much success with the recipe. (12/30/2010)